Taking the initiative to stop Disability Hate Crime!

Independent Social Care provider based in Lostock Hall, Preston has taken the initiative to help stamp out disability hate crime in Lancashire, by developing an event for the general public to gain understanding in Preston on Saturday 16th June

June 13, 2012 - PRLog -- The words ‘disability hate crime’ is not written down anywhere officially in the law! This fact troubled the Living Ambitions organisation and teams who work with people with learning disabilities through their ‘supported living’ and ‘outreach programmes’ in Lancashire

During regular workshops with the people they support, Living Ambitions teams gained valuable insights and feed back into the issues of ‘disability hate crime’. The analysis was clear! Many situations and crimes were not reported. Families, Relatives and Friends were not clear if it was a crime and where and how to report them. Armed with the overwhelming evidence the team took the information to Managing Director, Robin Bush.

“We support many, many people who have learning and physical disabilities” says Robin “and it is clear from the feedback we get, that public understanding of disability and hate crime in general is poor. We wanted to find a way to work with local organizations and the community to raise the profile of disability hate crime”

Robin and his team developed the idea of a ‘disability hate crime event’ and asked local organisations such as Lancashire County Council, Lancashire Constabulary, Preston City Council, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, Mencap, Caritas Care and Disability NW, to attend a meeting to see how this could be achieved . The ‘No Place for Hate-Stop Disability Hate Crime in Lancashire’ event was born as the Living Ambitions Community Campaign 2012 and further meetings at Living Ambitions head office brought the event together

Living Ambitions and the Lancashire Organisations are hoping that people will show their support on the day Information stalls and staff from Living Ambitions and its partners will be operating on Saturday 16th June at the Flag Market in Preston City Centre, from 11.00am – 15.00pm. The Preston City Council Community bus will be on hand to view a campaign video, get information and/or leave a ‘vox pop’ to show your support. The Domino Partnership, a working theatre company, will be performing with a theme designed to raise disability awareness and bullying and the ‘Video Bike’ will be travelling around for people to view the campaign video elsewhere in the city centre

A petition will be available to sign and along with the ‘Vox Pops’ will be presented to the Minister Maria Miller MP, Minister for Disabled People at the Office for Disability Issues, at Caxton House, London after the event

“Our aim is to make the general public aware of exactly what Disability Hate Crime is” says Robin Bush, MD of Living Ambitions “and we want the day to be interactive and informative” adds PC Stuart Rutledge, from Lancashire Constabulary’s Diversity Unit “but we also want people to know that these crimes can be reported and where they can be reported as Hate Crime in general is on the increase”

For further information on the ‘Disability Hate Crime Campaign Day’ please contact:

• *Registered as an excellent 3* provider with the Care Quality Commission, Ofsted and the Social Care Inspectorate the organisation is also a preferred social care provider of Lancashire County Council, Wigan and Salford. With demand for ‘Supported Living’, ‘Outreach’ and a variety of innovative services from support providers increasing, Living Ambitions work to provide community support to individuals with Long term and enduring mental health concerns, dual diagnosis and Learning Disabilities.

• *Based on Brownedge Road, Lostock Hall, in Preston, Lancashire, the organisation has been an innovative provider of social care services for over 20 years. Originally part of the Watson Healthcare Group operating in Salford & Greater Manchester, it now focuses on developing small bespoke services for individuals of all ages in their local communities throughout the North West